


The longest flight in history

by Rosetylars



Series: Cricverse [21]
Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26123518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: “Looks like everyone else has given up on the distancing,” JL mused.Marcus frowned, and scanned the rest of the aircraft with curiosity. Glenn and Aaron were snuggled together, asleep on each other; Kane and Kez were sitting beside one another, talking quietly; and Pat and Mitch were also sitting together, huddled over Pat’s tray table, poring over a notepad of some sort.Marcus just laughed. This team was ridiculous.
Relationships: (mentioned) - Relationship, Aaron Finch/Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey/Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis/Adam Zampa, Mitch Marsh/Pat Cummins, Tim Paine/Steve Smith
Series: Cricverse [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755766
Comments: 15
Kudos: 12





	The longest flight in history

**Author's Note:**

  * For [j_obsessed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_obsessed/gifts).



> August 2020.
> 
> ***  
> This follows on from [Home comforts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26098603) but it can be read on its own.
> 
> ***  
> Dedicated to Zee, for helping me with ideas and being lovely.
> 
> ***  
> Note: masks and social distancing aren't a joke, despite a... relaxed approach, in this story. Stay safe!

The day of their big flight to the UK, Pat and Mitch got to sleep in, because all of the interstate boys had to get to Perth first.

They had stayed up late, last night, watching reality shows and cuddling on the couch. Since Pat usually woke up before Mitch, Mitch revelled in waking up to the feeling of Pat snuggled up against his back.

Mitch shut his eyes again until Pat woke up with a yawn, about ten minutes later.

“Morning, snuggly boy,” Mitch mumbled warmly.

Pat huffed a soft laugh against Mitch’s back, snaking his arm around Mitch’s torso. “You’re the one who’s snuggly. You’re always so warm,” he mumbled, words muffled by the long-sleeved T-shirt Mitch had slept in.

Mitch grinned, shifting carefully onto his back so that he could coax Pat to lay on his chest. Mitch lovingly stroked Pat’s long hair back out of his eyes.

“Do you think they’ll let us sit together on the flight?” Mitch asked, after a few moments.

Pat hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe, but they’re gonna be strict on social distancing,” he reminded.

Mitch groaned. “We’re married,” he pointed out, tapping his wedding ring against Pat’s nose.

Pat chuckled. “I had no idea,” he teased. “Who even are those guys in that photo?” Pat gestured across the bedroom, to the picture frame that was hung above the dresser. It was identical to the frame that hung in their bedroom in Sydney - a close up of their first kiss, on their wedding day.

Mitch grinned, looking at the image again. Neither of them had their glasses on, but they both knew the picture from memory - their elated smiles, the happiness as they kissed, the tenderness of the moment. “I’m gonna miss that picture in all the hotel rooms,” Mitch admitted with a soft sigh. “Gonna miss so much about being home.”

Pat nodded, feeling the same. “I know, baby, but we’ve been looking forward to this for so long,” he reminded. “We’ll be together. That’s the most important thing.”

Mitch nodded, pressing kisses into Pat’s hair. He was right. They might be heading away from home for months, but they were together, and that’s all that mattered.

***

“Goodbye, house,” Marcus said, locking the front door as Adam struggled to drag a suitcase and three big kit bags to Marcus’ Range Rover.

Adam heard him speak, and looked at him quizzically. “Did the house say goodbye back?”

Marcus gave Adam an unamused look, which made Adam crack up.

“Come on, help me with these bags, please,” Adam suggested.

Two months’ worth of two cricketers’ gear was quite a lot for the car to handle, and when the boys were both strapped into the front, Marcus realised with a grimace that he couldn’t see out of the rear-vision mirror.

“What is it?” Adam asked, at his reaction.

Marcus gestured behind them with his head. “All our stuff is blocking the back window. Thank god you aren’t the type to bring an instrument or some shit,” he teased.

Adam burst out laughing. “Fuck, I don’t know why Steve insists on bringing a guitar. Can’t he learn to crochet or something?”

Marcus started the car and reversed out of the driveway, grateful for the reversing camera.

When they were on the road, Marcus chanced a glance to Adam, frowning. “What’s crochet?”

“You know, like… gourmet knitting,” Adam tried to explain, making some kind of knitting movement with his hands.

Marcus huffed a laugh, at that. “We all know that Steve spends ninety five percent of his spare time talking to Tim, not actually trying to learn the guitar.”

Adam nodded. “Tell me about it.”

Their journey to the airport was mostly incident-free, aside from a car merging into Marcus’ lane without indicating, making the older man swear as he slammed on the brakes. Both men grimaced at the responding _thunk_ that all of their baggage made.

“His nose was ahead of ours in the slip lane, so you should’ve expected him to come across,” Adam pointed out.

Marcus levelled him with a look. “Who’s driving?”

“I can provide feedback,” Adam said sagely, raising his hands to proclaim innocence. “Come drive in Sydney and see how you go. People do whatever they want. You’ve gotta be ready,” he said, grinning smugly.

Marcus just shook his head fondly, rolling his eyes. “You are impossible, Adsy,” he chuckled, reaching over to squeeze Adam’s thigh.

***

Pat and Mitch were slightly late to the airport, because Mitch had insisted they were running early, and coaxed Pat into some _time wasting_ activities.

Mitch stood by the fact it had been worth it, because Pat was now free of the tension he always carried on travel days.

The other domestic flights were still coming in, so it was just Marcus, Adam and JL there when the boys arrived.

JL greeted Mitch with a hug, before pulling away and grimacing. “Sorry, we’re not meant to do that,” JL remembered, gesturing to their masks.

Mitch just shrugged. They had both been in Perth for long enough not to worry.

Adam and Marcus looked cosy - Marcus’ arm was around Adam’s shoulders, and Adam melted into his boyfriend’s side like he belonged there.

It wasn’t long before Steve and Riley arrived from Hobart, which made Mitch scratch his head.

“Shouldn’t Steve be with the leftover Sydney boys?” Mitch asked Pat quietly.

“Mitchell, they are not _leftovers_ just because they don’t have partners who live interstate,” Pat chastised. “But no, Steve went down to stay with Timmy for a while. They texted us in our group chat, remember?”

Mitch frowned. He had no recollection of this supposed message.

Pat just sighed, rolling his eyes. “We had just been running,” he reminded.

Mitch’s eyes darkened. “Baby, you can’t expect me to remember. You know what it does to me when you’re all sweaty-“

Pat pressed a finger to Mitch’s lips, though the effect was diminished by Mitch’s face mask. “Shh, we’re in public,” Pat reminded.

Mitch rolled his eyes, but he knew Pat was right.

There was a bit of a delay waiting for the other boys to arrive from the other terminal, so there was a lot of time for the boys to sit around and chat. JL had pulled Riley aside for a welcoming chat, so Steve regaled Pat and Mitch with stories of his trip to Hobart.

“Getting excited for your wedding?” Mitch asked, after a while.

Steve’s eyes lit up. “Yes,” he gushed. “Timmy wants to look at rings over the summer. It’s all getting very real.”

Pat and Mitch both smiled knowingly. Weddings were overwhelming, but so exciting, too.

“Speaking of weddings,” Mitch said, looking into the distance past Pat and Steve. Both of them turned around to see Aaron and Glenn, who had flown in from Melbourne.

Pat frowned. “Mitchy, we can’t rush people into getting married if they aren’t ready,” he chastised.

Mitch rolled his eyes, but Steve sided with Mitch.

“Actually, Aaron told Tim at your wedding that he was thinking about proposing,” Steve revealed.

Pat raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised, but he couldn’t say any more, as the two Victorians had arrived.

They both looked exhausted already - they had had to get up before six to get to the airport and complete all of the border checks before the five hour flight.

“G’day, boys,” JL said warmly, almost hugging both of them before he realised they weren’t meant to.

“I promise we don’t have Covid,” Aaron said tiredly. “We both had to get tests done just to be allowed to see you guys.”

JL nodded sympathetically. “We’re all going to be tested when we arrive, too. It’s just another box we have to tick.”

Aaron nodded, running a hand back through Glenn’s dark hair without thinking, his mind obviously as exhausted as they were physically.

Kane and Kez arrived next, looking a bit more energetic than Aaron and Glenn. When they reached the group, Alex was reaching up to pick a bit of fluff from Kane’s hair.

By the time the Sydney boys arrived, Glenn was asleep on Aaron’s shoulder.

Aaron attempted to kiss Glenn’s forehead tenderly, but forgot he was wearing a mask.

Pat noticed, and chuckled. “We’ve all been there.”

Aaron smiled fondly.

Beside them, Kane and Kez were catching up with Adam and Marcus. Marcus’ hand was gripping Adam’s thigh possessively, which made Mitch chuckle. He subtly pointed it out to Pat.

Pat laughed, rolling his eyes. “I thought he was past being jealous of Kane, especially since he’s in a committed relationship now,” he said quietly, dropping his head to Mitch’s shoulder.

Mitch laughed. “I don’t think Kane and Marcus will ever love each other,” he mused. “Who would you date out of the two of them?”

Pat levelled Mitch with a look. “I’m married to you. That’s all that matters.”

Mitch melted, at that, and they put the conversation to bed.

***

Once everybody was in the one place, it was almost time to board the flight.

Kane compared tickets with Alex.

“Same row, but opposite ends,” Alex realised. “We both have windows.”

Kane pouted. “I’ll miss you.”

Alex melted, wrapping his arms around Kane’s middle, pressing himself up against Kane’s front. Kane wanted to kiss his forehead, but the mask was in his way.

“Half the team is together. I give it an hour before everyone ignores the distancing and sits together.”

Kane chuckled. “You’re probably right,” he agreed.

Across the departure gate, Glenn was yawning, and Aaron, sitting two seats to his left, dug through his backpack.

He pulled out a protein bar and some water, passing them along to his boyfriend, who was still half asleep.

“Maxi,” he said gently, trying to get the younger man’s attention.

Glenn blinked his eyes open, looking at Aaron, realising he was offering snacks.

“Oh, thanks darling,” Glenn mumbled, accepting them.

The team doctor’s head snapped towards them, like a hawk. “Boys, no sharing bottles,” he called out.

Aaron gave him a look. “Mate, we’ve been together for ten and a half years,” he pointed out, making all of the other boys laugh.

JL’s policy going into 2020 was that if everyone was comfortable enough to be honest about their relationships, there would be better trust and feeling among the group - and he was totally right. None of them had to sneak around or hide, any more, and it was a big relief for all of them. (What he didn't mention was that this way, CA didn't have to waste money on a bunch of hotel rooms that remained empty, anyway.)

The doctor sighed, but gave in. There were going to be so many social distancing breaches among these boys.

***

Since the flight was a charter, the boys were all allocated a row to themselves. Pat was behind Mitch, which meant they could talk through the gap in the seats, much to everyone’s annoyance.

Across the aisle from Mitch, in the opposite window, was Marcus, with Adam behind him, opposite Pat.

They hadn’t even taken off yet, and Mitch was sitting sideways in his seat, gazing at Pat through the gap by the window. JL was walking by, checking on everyone.

“Mitch, mate, be careful. Imagine the germs on that window,” JL chastised.

Mitch rolled his eyes. “You sound like Bec, talking to Austin,” he whined.

JL just chuckled. “Austin is smarter than you,” he teased, winking at Mitch before proceeding further towards the front of the aircraft, checking on the other boys before they took off.

A few rows behind them, Riley’s eyes were wide, and he poked Starcy’s back through the gap in the seat in front of him. Starcy turned around, raising his eyebrows.

“You okay, Riles?” Starcy asked warmly.

“I… did you hear that?”

Starcy furrowed his eyebrows. “JL and Mitch?”

Riley nodded. “Are they always like that?”

Starcy chuckled. “They’re like, family friends. He goes way back with Geoff. He claims to have known Mitch since the day he was born, but nobody believes him,” he explained.

“Oh,” Riley nodded. “So they just... tease each other? Like mates?”

Starcy shrugged. “They are mates. JL told me recently that he actually knew Pat and Mitch were together back when they played for the Scorchers together, like, six or seven years ago.”

Riley blinked. He had only found out Pat and Mitch were together when they updated their Instagram handles, after their wedding, four months ago. “And he’s okay with that?”

Starcy shrugged. “He’s okay with all of the couples. All of the staff are, now. The new open trust policy is working a treat,” he explained. 

Riley blinked again. “Couples? Plural?“

Starcy groaned, running a hand back through his hair. “We have a long flight ahead of us, mate.”

***

Alex forced himself to try and read a book for at least the beginning of the flight. Kane had his earbuds in, listening to music, no doubt. Alex sighed. They were so close to each other, but not close enough.

There had been no CA staff members to spy on them, on the flight from Adelaide to Perth, that morning, so Alex had shifted to the spare seat beside Kane and enjoyed the warmth and comfort that always came with his proximity.

Alex was so tempted to swap seats, right now. He scanned the rest of the aircraft, and realised nobody had moved yet - not even Pat and Mitch, though they were holding hands through the gap by the window.

He sighed, forcing his eyes back down to his book. He was _not_ a needy boyfriend. He could read a book to pass the time.

Further towards the front of the aeroplane, Glenn felt exhausted to his bones, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fall asleep. He was in one aisle seat, and Aaron was in the other - most other boys were in windows, but the airline had obviously tried to stagger their seating, trying not to have them all immediately behind one another.

Glenn turned his head to face Aaron across the aisle, and Aaron did the same, reaching for Glenn’s hand, pushing his headphones down around his neck.

“You okay?” Aaron asked, rubbing his thumb over Glenn’s knuckles, which were slightly dry and coarse from the Melbourne winter.

Glenn sighed, shrugging. “So tired, but I can’t sleep,” he replied.

Aaron sighed. Glenn hadn’t slept very well last night - there had been choppers flying overhead intermittently to make sure people were following the curfew, plus the temperature had dropped to single digits overnight - and then they had to wake up before sunrise.

Aaron knew Glenn could do with a rest. He looked around, and made sure the CA staff were all preoccupied. He shuffled along to the window seat, and patted the empty seats beside him.

“Come rest, darling. You need it,” Aaron suggested quietly.

Glenn looked around, checking the coast was clear. “What if we get in trouble?”

Aaron chuckled. “I dare them to try and wake a sleeping Maxi,” he teased.

Glenn grinned, giving in, picking up his phone and iPad before shifting seats as stealthily as he could. 

Aaron put Glenn’s devices in his own backpack, so they didn’t get lost.

Within two minutes, Glenn was snuggled into Aaron’s side, head on his shoulder, asleep.

Aaron finally let himself relax, now that Glenn was resting. He closed his eyes, letting his head rest on top of Glenn’s.

***

Less than ten minutes later, Pat was getting antsy. He could smell Mitch’s cologne, and the distance was making his heart ache.

Steve stood up to stretch his legs and use the bathroom, and he stopped by Pat’s seat for a quick chat.

“Is Mitch okay?” Pat asked.

Steve looked at Pat strangely. “He’s right in front of you,” he pointed out, lost.

Pat shrugged. “I can’t deal with this distance,” he admitted.

Steve blinked. These were two men - _married_ men - who had maintained a relationship while living on opposite sides of the country for almost a decade. “Distance?” He echoed.

Pat touched the seat in front of him - Mitch’s seat - dramatically. “Too far away,” he mumbled.

Steve bit back a chuckle. “Why don’t you just sit with him? Glenn and Aaron have already caved,” he revealed.

Pat’s eyes widened. “Wait, really?”

“Yep, they’re asleep together,” Steve told him, looking down the plane at the older couple. “Don’t be lonely,” Steve winked, heading for the bathroom.

Pat reached through the gap by the window to stroke Mitch’s arm, getting his attention. Mitch shifted around so that he could poke his face through the gap, making Pat laugh. Pat couldn’t help himself, reaching out to touch Mitch’s cheek lovingly.

“Aaron and Glenn are asleep, cuddling,” Pat reported.

Mitch frowned for a second. “Then why the fuck are you not in my arms?”

Pat grinned, at that. “Come sit?”

Mitch disappeared immediately, gathering his valuables and trying to slip into the spare seats beside Pat without being noticed.

At six foot three and not subtle in anything he ever did, people noticed.

Mitch sighed with relief when Pat was back within touching distance, attempting to kiss him despite their masks.

“Why do we need these stupid masks when we’re fucking married anyway?” Mitch grumbled.

Pat chuckled. “It’s in case there’s virus in the air,” he said gently.

Mitch rolled his eyes, resting his head on Pat’s shoulder.

“Do you want to play a game? I brought a pen and paper,” Pat suggested.

Mitch’s eyes lit up. “Hangman?”

Pat chuckled. “Sure.”

***

Alex had managed to get through two chapters of his book when he decided he’d had enough.

“Kane,” he said.

Kane didn’t hear him, through his headphones.

“Kane,” he repeated.

Still no response.

Alex rolled his eyes, about to throw something at his stupid boyfriend to get his attention, when Kane looked over at him, of his own volition.

Kane startled to see Alex already looking at him, pulling his headphones off. “You doing alright, baby?”

Alex shrugged. “Miss you.”

Kane pouted. “Miss you too, baby.”

“Come cuddle,” Alex pleaded, patting the seat beside him.

Kane looked around, but decided cuddling his boyfriend was more important than distancing... especially since they shared a bit more than saliva, very frequently.

He left his headphones on his seat and shifted across the aisle, sitting down in the empty seat beside Alex.

Kane put an arm around Alex immediately. It had been... almost an hour, since they had last touched. Far too long.

Alex snuggled into Kane’s arms, sighing contentedly. Kane dropped his nose into Alex’s golden brown curls, breathing deeply.

“You still smell like my shampoo,” Kane hummed appreciatively.

“Pretty sure it’s our shampoo, now,” Alex teased. “Has been since I moved in.”

Kane chuckled, trying to press a kiss to Alex’s temple. “It’s meant to be for oily hair,” he protested weakly.

Alex shrugged. “Surely we don’t believe that. It’s just hair soap.”

Kane pulled a face. “Are you trying to say hair companies are lying about their products?”

“I’m just saying it’s all the same stuff, but I like the scent of yours, so it's now ours,” Alex declared.

Kane chuckled, pulling Alex closer. “I like it when you smell like me,” he murmured into Alex’s ear. “Reminds me you’re mine.”

Alex hummed appreciatively, reaching to swipe a thumb over Kane’s cheekbone. “I am yours,” he affirmed.

Kane grinned, taking another sniff of Alex’s hair.

***

Adam had managed to fall asleep almost as soon as they had gotten on the flight, so Marcus had watched a movie, glad his boyfriend was getting some rest. Once the end credits rolled, though, Marcus’ thoughts came back to the present, and he realised the temperature on board had dropped dramatically. He grimaced, standing up to pull a jumper out of the overhead locker. He pulled it on while he was still standing, to save the discomfort of long arms in a cramped space.

He looked across the aisle at Adam, and realised he was still only in his travel polo - he must have been freezing. Marcus pulled down one of the blankets they had been given, shaking it out to its full size before spreading it over his sleeping boyfriend.

Adam curled into it in his sleep, clearly a relief from the cold. Marcus’ heart melted.

He must have been standing in the aisle for a moment too long, because JL came past, heading for the bathroom, and laughed softly at the sight, rubbing Marcus’ lower back warmly.

“Good to see you looking after him, mate,” JL said kindly.

“Always,” Marcus smiled softly.

“Looks like everyone else has given up on the distancing,” JL mused, continuing on his way.

Marcus frowned, and scanned the rest of the aircraft with curiosity. Glenn and Aaron were snuggled together, asleep on each other; Kane and Kez were sitting beside one another, talking quietly; and Pat and Mitch were also sitting together, huddled over Pat’s tray table, poring over a notepad of some sort.

Marcus just laughed. This team was ridiculous.

***

As the hours dragged on, everyone started to get bored. The social distancing was practically out of the window. Steve and Marnus had shifted to sit beside one another, syncing up a movie on both of their screens so they could watch it together.

Kane had gone for a walk to visit Adam, and ended up sitting with Adam for a while, chatting.

Josh had shifted so he could chat to Starcy, and Alex was in the row in front of the pair, chiming in. The three squad newbies - Riley, Dan Sams and Josh Philippe, ended up across the aisle from Josh and Starcy, spanning two rows, and the six of them ended up getting into a discussion about the relationships within the team.

Everyone knew about Tim and Steve, from their state and BBL connections, and Pat and Mitch’s new surnames were on their social media profiles. The other couples, though, seemed to be more of a mystery to the new boys.

“Start from the start,” Dan requested. “Who’s been together the longest, Pat and Mitch?”

Starcy and Josh shared a considered look.

“They’ve been together the longest, like, sequentially. Since before we were at the academy,” Josh replied.

Dan blinked. “Sequentially?”

“Aaron and Glenn have been on and off since early 2010,” Starcy replied. “But they’ve broken up fifty thousand times. They’ve been back on properly since like, the start of this year.”

Riley seemed scandalised by this information. “Like, as in the Stars and Renegades captains?”

Josh just shrugged, unbothered. “Yeah, they live together.”

Dan scratched his jaw. “I thought they posted some weird stuff, sometimes,” he mused.

Josh P was surprised, too. “So there are four couples in Australian cricket?”

“Australian men’s cricket,” Dan corrected, absently.

“Who’s the other one?” Riley asked.

“No, there are five,” Starcy replied.

The new boys all stared at Starcy in varying degrees of surprise.

“The only other one I know is Stoin and Adam Zampa,” Josh P reported. “Adam’s Marcus’ phone wallpaper. Pretty cute.”

Dan just shook his head with disbelief. “I knew those guys were too close to be friends.”

Josh huffed a laugh.

“Who are we missing?” Starcy asked Josh.

Josh counted on his fingers. “Aaron and Glenn, Tim and Steve, Pat and Mitch, Marcus and Adam,” he repeated.

Alex had been listening with amusement, enjoying the surprised reactions. He supposed it did all sound kind of insane, when they spelt it out like that.

“Just missing me and Kane,” Alex chuckled.

Dan’s head snapped around to Alex’s face. “Kane Richardson?”

“That’s the one,” Alex replied with a contented smile.

“How long has that been going on for?” Josh P asked.

“Four, five years?” Starcy replied.

Alex almost choked on his tongue. “What? No! It’s only been a year since we made it official,” he corrected.

“He’s been groping you in public for years. The first time I saw him cup both of your arse cheeks in a Shield match I thought I was going to vomit,” Starcy protested.

“He doesn’t _cup my arse-“_

Josh just shook his head. “Mate, you’re kidding yourself. It was never never a secret that you two were sleeping together,” he reasoned.

“We were _friends with benefits-“_

“If that was really the case, did you ever wake up together?” Starcy raised his eyebrows.

“What kind of person would leave in the middle of the night?” Alex asked, horrified.

“ _Friends with benefits_ ,” Josh and Starcy said at the same time.

Dan threw his head back with laughter, while Riley just looked confused.

Starcy tried again. “Did you guys ever kiss when you weren’t having sex?”

Alex screwed up his face. “Of course we did,” he replied, as if it were a stupid question.

Dan met Josh’s eyes, shaking his head, biting back a grin.

“Mate, you do realise that’s not what friends with benefits do, right?” Dan pointed out gently.

“I bet you’ve had a toothbrush at his house for years,” Starcy added.

Alex huffed, rolling his eyes. “A toothbrush is _nothing personal_.”

“Whatever you say, Kez. Adam even told me you were known to keep a spare uniform at his place, so you didn’t have to go home in the morning. And you _turned up to training together._ More than once,” Starcy pointed out.

“Is that not just being responsible?” Alex returned.

Josh looked skyward, as if wishing for some divine intervention to free Alex from his obliviousness. “What about when I was FaceTiming with Kane and you were in the background, folding washing?”

“I was being _a polite guest,_ ” Alex declared. “It would’ve been pretty rude of me to stay over all the time and not help out around the house.”

Josh, Starcy and the three new boys exchanged disbelieving looks.

“Kezza, it sounds an awful lot like a relationship to me,” Josh chuckled. “Regardless, we’re all happy for you two, even if you will debate how long it’s been going on.”

Alex rolled his eyes fondly.

***

Towards the end of the flight, Marcus and Adam were curled up together in Marcus’ row of seats, watching a show on Marcus’ laptop, sharing a pair of earbuds.

Opposite them and one row behind, Mitch had taken his mask off to eat, and had since given up on it. He took advantage of that, pressing soft kisses along Pat’s neck as Pat dozed in his arms.

Steve and Marnus had annoyed everyone by chatting, but they were sharing an iPad screen, playing some multiplayer game.

Aaron’s arms were around Glenn, and they were speaking quietly to each other.

Alex had told Kane about the chat with the boys earlier, and Kane thought it was hilarious. He pressed a kiss to Alex’s forehead. “Babe, that is so funny,” he grinned.

Alex laughed softly. “Well, at least we’ll never end up like them,” he said, looking a few rows forward at Glenn.

Glenn was looking up adoringly at Aaron, from where his head rested against the older man’s chest. Aaron was carding a soothing hand through Glenn’s dark hair, murmuring words that were lost to Alex’s ears under the hum of the aeroplane’s engine.

Kane followed Alex’s eye-line, huffing a soft laugh. “No way. These couples are all ridiculous,” he agreed.

“They’re too much,” Alex mumbled, tracing playful fingertips along Kane’s open palm.

“Way too much,” Kane agreed, nuzzling his nose into Alex’s golden curls, breathing in the scent of _their_ shampoo.

A few rows behind them, Josh and Starcy just rolled their eyes. The landing could not come quickly enough.


End file.
